Pill container



P 7, 1965 H. HORNER ETAL 3,204,758

PILL CONTAINER Filed April 25, 1963 INVENTORS H u gh Home r BY Thomas Gfirenf I 4 A TTORN E YS United States Patent 3,204,758 PILL CONTAINER Hugh Homer, Merrick, and Thomas C. Grenfell, Melville, N.Y., assignors to Chas. Pfizer & Co. Inc., New York, N.Y., a corporation of Delaware Filed Apr. 25, 1963, Ser. No. 275,678 4 Claims. (Cl. 20642) This invention relates to a container for storing pills that are subject to agglomeration and more particularly to such a container for long-time storage of medicament tablet or capsules.

The need for containers capable of extended storage of medicament pills, such as tablets and capsules, has been accentuated by the stockpiling requirements of civil defense. In existing containers the problem of agglomeration hampers effective extended storage of medicaments in the form of tablets or capsules. The agglomeration usually occurs in an atmosphere of moisture and humidity and where there is a heavy concentration of pill weight.

A second problem attendant with many containers results from the users failure to keep the container upright when he is breaking the seal, thereby permitting the tablets to spill from the container. Some existing containers are provided with a paper or foil inner lid to retain the tablets therein. After the seal is broken, this type of inner lid is torn off to permit removal of the tablets, and can no longer protect the unused tablets from spillage.

An object of this invention is to provide a relatively light and inexpensive container which is capable of storing medicament pills for an extended period of time.

A further object of this invention is to provide a container which dependably regulates the dispensing of medicament pills therefrom in repeated use.

In accordance with this invention a storage container is provided with an insert element having a bottom surface substantially covering most of the bottom of the container. This insert element tapers upwardly toward its center adjacent the top of the container and occupies substantially one-third of its volume to prevent a concentration of tablets in the lower center of the container where agglomeration is most likely to occur. The prevention of agglomeration may be aided by the inclusion of a drying agent in the container or receptacle to minimize the moisture and humidity therein.

The insert element may advantageously be made of a foamed plastic material to act as a cushion against abrasion. Foamed plastic is further advantageous since it is light in weight and relatively inexpensive. The receptacle or container may also be provided with a dispensing lid under its sealing lid. The dispensing lid has an aperture slightly larger than the medicament pill stored in the container to avoid indiscrete spilling of the tablets after the sealing lid is removed.

Novel features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to one skilled in the art from a reading of the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein similar reference characters refer to similar parts and in which:

FIG. 1 is a three-dimensional exploded view of one embodiment of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the opened receptacle shown in FIG. 1 with cover and lid removed;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional View in elevation taken through FIG. 2 along line 33;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view in elevation showing one form of attachment of the dispensing lid of the embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is another fragmenttary cross-sectional view in elevation of another form of attachment of the dispensing lid of the embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view in elevation of another embodiment of this invention.

In FIG. 1 is shown a medicament tablet container in the form of a cylindrical receptacle 10. Receptacle 10 may be made of any convenient material, such as a tinplated steel, but aluminum is preferred since it is light weight and free from corrosion under adverse storage conditions. Loosely resting on the bottom of receptacle 10 is an insert element 12. Insert element 12 has a bottom surface 14 of substantially the same size and shape as the bottom surface 16 of receptacle 10 to substantially cover most of bottom surface 16. Insert element 12 tapers upwardly toward its center adjacent the top end of receptacle 10 so that the lower center of receptacle 10 where agglomeration is most likely to occur is substantially occupied by insert element 12. It is also advantageous in preventing agglomeration to have insert element 12 occupy approximately one-third of the receptacle volume. An effective material for insert element 12 is a foamed plastic, such as rigid foamed polystyrene, because of its light weight and because this type of material is particularly effective as a cushion against abrasion. In the alternatve form of the invention shown in FIG. 6, insert element 12a is of the same material as and integral with receptacle 10.

Although insert element 12 occupies approximately one-third of the receptacle volume, storage space is unexpectedly not actually wasted because the prevention of agglomeration results in maintaining all of the pills stored available for use after many years of storage. The cylindrical shape of receptacle 10 saves storage space in comparison with bottles and other conventional containers. A receptacle 1 /2 inches high and 2 /2 inches in diameter packages tablets of average size. Receptacles of other shapes and sizes may be used with the insert section described herein.

A drying agent 18 shown in FIG. 1 may be placed in receptacle 10 to minimize the moisture and humidity therein. Drying agent 18 is especially useful when the container is stored in warm climates, since small amounts of moisture frequently evolve from medicaments in such climates, thereby aggravating the agglomeration problem. Drying agent 18 is for example a porous capsule of a silica gel which is effective even at high temperatures. Although a film-coated tablet of oxytetracycline amphoteric dihydrate normally carries a five-year expiration date, the container herein described will maintain such tablets physically and chemically stable and useable for substantially longer periods, ten years or more, even when stored under tropical or sub-zero conditions.

Receptacle 10 has an inner lid secured adjacent its top edge. While the inner lid may be a glassine paper or foil cemented to the mouth of receptacle 10, in a preferred form of the invention, the inner lid comprises a dispensing lid 20 permanently secured to receptacle 10 slightly below its upper end. Dispensing lid 20 has an aperture 22 slightly larger than a single medicament pill 24 so that only a limited number of pills can be removed at one time. Thus the user controls the dispensing of pills by shaking the receptacle the required number of times. This is especially helpful if the container is not in an upright position when sealing lid 30 is removed, thereby preventing or minimizing spillage of the contents. Dispensing lid 20 is rigid and may take the form of a rolled-on aluminum lid. An alternative material for the lid is clear plastic such as poly(methyl methacrylate) or Plexiglas, a trademark of the Rohm & Haas Company of Philadelphia, Pa. for a thermoplastic, colorless material. This material has the advantage of allowing visual observation of the tablets to indicate when the supply is running low. When a clear plastic material is used for dispensing lid 20, receptacle 10 may be provided with a shoulder or ridge 26, shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. Dispensing lid 20 may rest on shoulder 26 (as shown in FIG. 4) and is held in place by compression or cementing, or dispensing lid 20 includes a mating groove 28 in its edge into which ridge26 is seated (as shown in FIG. Alternatively, shoulder 26 may be replaced by a plurality of inwardly-projecting knobs or detents (not shown), for example a diametrically opposed pair of such detents, formed in the sides of the container, in cooperation with two or more such detents disposed slightly closer to the top of the container and circumferentially displaced from said lower detents, whereby plastic lid 20 is firmly held between said upper and lower sets of detents.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 6, receptacle is sealed with a sealing lid 30 made preferably of aluminum rolled on over receptacle edge 32. An integral tear-off strip 34 is rolled under edge 32.. To open the container a user simply grasps finger tab 36 to tear off strip 34 thereby releasing sealing lid 30.

The container herein described is suitable for storing hard and soft gelatin capsules, as well as uncoated and sugar-coated tablets, and it is especially efiective for storing the so-called film-coated tablets (i.e. tablets coated with a film-forming polymer such as polyvinyl alcohol). If desired other antibiotic or medicament pills may be conveniently stored in such a container.

What is claimed is:

1. A container for storing pills comprising a receptacle having a top, bottom and imperforated side walls, an insert element at the bottom of said receptacle, said insert element having a lower surface of approximately the same size and shape as the bottom of said receptacle thereby substantially covering most of said bottom of said receptacle, said insert element tapering upwardly toward its center and terminating adjacent said top of said receptacle to prevent concentration of saidpills in the lower center of said receptacle whereby agglomeration of said pills is prevented, said insert element occupying substantially onethird of said receptacle volume, a dispensing lid having an aperture to permit controlled dispensing of said pills, said dispensing lid being secured adjacent the top of said receptacle slightly above said insert element and a sealing lid secured to the top of said receptacle above said dispensing lid.

2. A container for storing pills as set forth in claim 1 wherein said insert element is loosely retained in said receptacle and is made of a foamed plastic material to act as a cushion against abrasion.

3. A container for storing medicament pills as set forth in claim 1 wherein a drying agent is inserted in said r'eceptacle to minimize humidity and moisture therein.

4. A container of pills comprising in combination a receptacle and medicament pills inserted in said receptacle, said receptacle having a top, bottom and imperforated side Walls, an insert element within said bottom of said receptacle, said insert element having a lower surface of approximately the same size and shape as said bottom of said receptacle thereby substantially covering most of said bottom of said receptacle, said insert element tapering upwardly toward its center and terminating adjacent said top of said receptacle, said insert element occupying substantially one-third of said receptacle volume to prevent a concentration of said pills in the lower center of said receptacle whereby agglomeration of said pills is prevented, a sealing lid secured to the top of said receptacle a dispensing Iid being secured to said receptacle adjacent its top, and said dispensing lid having an aperture slightly larger than one of said pills to thereby control the dispensing of said pills.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,117,685 5/38 Smith. 2,275,293 3/ 42 Foley 20642 2,457,345 12/48 Carline. 2,621,782 12/52 Reifers 20642 2,7 74,466 12/ 5 6 Liska 20642 2,903,127 9/59 Dorman. 3,020,659 2/ 62 Paulini.

FOREIGN PATENTS 1,227,370 3/60 France.

597,117 1/48 Great Britain.

THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner. 

4. A CONTAINER OF PILLS COMPRISING IN COMBINATION A RECEPTACLE AND MEDICAMENT PILLS INSERTED IN SAID RECEPTACLE, SAID RECEPTACLE HAVING A TOP, BOTTOM AND IMPERFORATED SIDE WALLS, AN INSERT ELEMENT WITHIN SAID BOTTOM OF SAID RECEPTACLE, SAID INSERT ELEMENT HAVING A LOWER SURFACE OF APPROXIMATELY THE SAME SIZE AND SHAPE AS SAID BOTTOM OF SAID RECEPTACLE THEREBY SUBSTANTIALLY COVERING MOST OF SAID BOTTOM OF SAID RECEPTACLE, SAID INSERT ELEMENT TAPERING UPWARDLY TOWARD ITS CENTER AND TERMINATING ADJACENT SAID TOP OF SAID RECEPTACLE, SAID INSERT ELEMENT OCCUPYING SUBSTANTIALLY ONE-THIRD OF SAID RECEPTACLE VOLUME TO PREVENT A CONCENTRATION OF SAID PILLS INT HE LOWER CENTER OF SAID RECEPTACLE WHEREBY AGGLOMERTAION OF SAID PILLS IS PREVENTED, A SEALING LID SECURED TO THE TOP OF SAID RECEPTACLE A DISPENSING LID BEING SECURED TO SAID RECEPTACLE ADJACENT ITS TOP, AND SAID DISPENSING LID HAING AN APERTURE SLIGHTLY LARGER THAN ONE OF SAID PILLS TO THEREBY CONTROL THE DISPENSING OF SAID PILLS. 